dialogue
Selma Feriani | Gallerist
September 2025
6 min read
From London to Sidi Bou Said, Selma Feriani has shaped galleries that act as platforms for dialogue and experimentation. Rooted in her Tunisian heritage and guided by a global outlook, her programme champions underrepresented voices and builds bridges between local and international art scenes.
On global stages like Art Basel, Frieze, and Art Dubai, the gallery highlights artists whose work is both conceptually rigorous and socially engaged. Each presentation reflects a commitment to cultural relevance, long-term support, and positioning MENA artists at the forefront of contemporary conversations.
With her new residency in Tunisia, Feriani deepens this exchange by inviting international artists to engage directly with local communities and histories. The result is a space where new narratives emerge, layered, complex, and vital, reshaping how the region is seen and understood.
Selma Feriani. Photo courtesy of Selma Feriani.
You studied and worked in finance before opening your first gallery in London in 2009.
What prompted that shift into the art world, and what was the most challenging part of making the transition?
“The transition from finance to the art world was driven by a deep personal passion for contemporary art and a desire to contribute meaningfully to cultural dialogue. While working in finance provided me with a strong foundation in business and strategic thinking, I felt a growing need to engage with something more creative and intellectually enriching. I also come from a family in art and collecting, my mother is a gallerist focused on modernism from North Africa and has a collection on MENA's artists.”
What prompted the shift?
”My move into the art world wasn't sudden but rather the result of a long-standing interest in the arts. My exposure to international art scenes and my Tunisian heritage sparked a strong desire to bridge cultural narratives between the Global South and established Western art markets. I have imagined my gallery as a space to create a platform for underrepresented voices and to showcase emerging and mid-career artists with critical, socially-engaged practices.”
Most challenging part of the transition?
”One of the most difficult aspects of the shift was entering an industry that relies heavily on networks, trust, and long-term relationships. Building credibility, developing meaningful relationships with artists and collectors, and navigating the subtleties of the market required patience, resilience, and a willingness to learn on the ground.”
Installation view: Nidhal Chamekh, Et si Carthages?, 2024.
In 2013, a few years after launching your London gallery, you returned to Tunisia to open a second space in Sidi Bou Said.
What drew you back, and what kind of role did you imagine a gallery could play within that cultural and political moment?
“Returning to Tunisia in 2013 to open a second gallery in Sidi Bou Said came at a critical juncture, both culturally and politically. Following the Tunisian Revolution of 2011, there was a palpable sense of transformation and the emergence of a new civic consciousness. This was not just a return home, it was an intentional act of cultural investment in a country redefining itself.
I was drawn back by the opportunity to be part of the rebuilding of Tunisia’s cultural infrastructure. At a time when the country was navigating the early stages of democracy and facing questions of identity, freedom, and expression, I envisioned the gallery as more than just a commercial space. It was a platform for dialogue, a safe space for experimentation, and a site for critical engagement.
In that context, the gallery aimed to foster contemporary artistic voices that could both reflect and challenge the socio-political realities of the region. It created a bridge between local and international art scenes, giving Tunisian and North African artists visibility on a global stage, while also bringing global conversations into a local context.
The role I imagined was bold: to contribute to the formation of a contemporary cultural narrative in Tunisia, one grounded in artistic freedom, intellectual rigor, and social relevance.”
Maha Malluh, Food for Thought (Azhar), Tower of aluminum pots & covers Small: 74 x 28 cm. Medium 1st: 96 x 26 cm. Medium 2nd: 104 x 20 cm, 2025.
You regularly participate in international fairs such as Art Basel, Frieze, Abu Dhabi Art, and Art Dubai, often showcasing artists from the Middle East and North Africa.
What guides your decision when selecting which artists to present on these global stages?
When selecting artists to present at international fairs like Art Basel, Frieze, Abu Dhabi Art, and Art Dubai, several guiding principles inform our curatorial decisions at Selma Feriani Gallery:
Artistic Excellence and Innovation: We prioritize artists whose practices demonstrate a high level of conceptual rigor, craftsmanship, and originality. Their work must not only be visually compelling but also contribute meaningfully to contemporary discourse, offering new perspectives or challenging dominant narratives.
Cultural Relevance and Representation: As a gallery deeply rooted in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, we seek to highlight voices that reflect the rich cultural, political, and social complexities of this area. We aim to amplify underrepresented narratives and foster a nuanced understanding of the region’s diverse artistic landscapes.
Global Dialogue: While our focus is regional, we look for artists whose work resonates beyond geographic boundaries. The goal is to position them within a broader global context where their ideas and expressions can engage in meaningful dialogue with international audiences, institutions, and collectors.
Long-Term Support and Development: We often choose artists with whom we’ve built sustained relationships—supporting them through multiple stages of their careers. Presenting them on such prestigious platforms is both a strategic and ethical commitment to their growth and visibility.
Ultimately, our selections are guided by a balance of critical engagement, regional representation, and global relevance, with the goal of positioning our artists at the forefront of contemporary art conversations.
Installation view: Monia Ben Hamouda, YA’ABURNEE, 2025.
Recommended
Your work has been instrumental in bringing Tunisian and MENA artists to the international stage. Now, with your new residency programme, you’re also inviting artists from abroad to engage directly with Tunisia.
What kinds of dialogue or exchange do you hope this inward movement will create and how might it reshape the narratives typically told about the region?
The residency/ L'atelier is a space of discovery and creation. By inviting artists from different cultural contexts to immerse themselves in Tunisia, not just as observers but as active participants, we hope to foster genuine, reciprocal exchange. It’s not about importing new ideas so much as creating fertile ground for shared experiences. Too often, narratives about the region are shaped by external lenses, heavy with geopolitics or clichés. By placing international artists in direct dialogue with local communities, landscapes, and histories, we can begin to rewrite those stories from within, revealing the layered complexity, nuance, and vitality that exist here.
This inward movement can challenge binary views, East versus West, tradition versus modernity, by highlighting the entanglements and hybridities that already exist. Ideally, it sparks new solidarities and collaborations, helping all participants reimagine their own cultural frameworks.”
Installation view: Catalina Swinburn, Devotional Landscapes, 2025.
If you could stage an exhibition anywhere in the world, with no limits, where would it be, and what kind of atmosphere or experience would you hope to create?
“I would choose the historical site of Carthage, the ruins by the Mediterranean sea.“
Installation view: Fares Thabet, Un bateau sans naufrage et sans étoile, 2024.
